Talking of Command (Tags: Archangel and Gabriel)

USS PHOENIX: Sheridan's Quarters

Andrew had gone to rest after the successful retrieval of the Captain and crew from the planet where everything had gone to hell it seemed. He had been exhausted...the burden of command had weighed heavily upon him, but with sleep under him...he had awakened feeling rested. It had been sorely needed. The mission, one that should have been easy, had gone from diplomacy and possible celebration...to absolute chaos and trouble. It had taken all he had to keep the ship safe, and the crew as well for that matter. Command was new to him, but while the mission had been stressful and exhausting...still he had enjoyed being there to help in this new fashion.

After refreshing himself; Andrew went to his desk, and began filling out his own report on the recent events. It was not going to be a very favorable report for the former Federation applicant, but it was also not going to be good for those who originally did the investigation of the planet. They had missed something extremely vital, and it had nearly cost some of the crew their lives...including the ship. Such needed to be addressed, and so Andrew Sheridan was filling out the report on exactly those issues...as well as the facts of events that had transpired.

As he sat there typing his report up; Andrew's thoughts went over his decisions while in command of the starship. He knew there were areas he could have done better in, but what decisions could have changed?

[USS Phoenix - Corridors]

The ship seemed to have returned to at least a semblance of normalcy, after the epic-level clusterflub on Gorova's planet. Gabriel had stolen a few moments with Archangel, and the pair strode down the corridors of the crew section. "I don't think he'll see it as a bother," he said, turning a corner and nodding to a passing ensign. The poor ensign must have wondered what the Captain and XO were up to, walking around and with a grim look of purpose to their stride, for the poor kid damn near ran out of the way.

Lieutenant Sheridan had performed admirably in his role of command. It had been one of his first times in the center chair during a crisis situation, and, as often happened, the experience had been thrust upon him. There never seemed to be enough 'training' in the universe to prepare someone for that first time. "We'll just see how he's doing. A light debrief, but off the record," Gabe said, chiming Sheridan's door.

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

[USS Phoenix - Corridors]

The ship seemed to have returned to at least a semblance of normalcy, after the epic-level clusterflub on Gorova's planet.  Gabriel had stolen a few moments with Archangel, and the pair strode down the corridors of the crew section.  "I don't think he'll see it as a bother," he said, turning a corner and nodding to a passing ensign.  The poor ensign must have wondered what the Captain and XO were up to, walking around and with a grim look of purpose to their stride, for the poor kid damn near ran out of the way.

Lieutenant Sheridan had performed admirably in his role of command.  It had been one of his first times in the center chair during a crisis situation, and, as often happened, the experience had been thrust upon him.  There never seemed to be enough 'training' in the universe to prepare someone for that first time.  "We'll just see how he's doing.  A light debrief, but off the record," Gabe said, chiming Sheridan's door.

Archangel stayed quiet as she walked alongside her first officer, her arms folded behind her back. As much as she enjoyed being able to spend time alone with Gabriel, she knew that there were times when professionalism had to take precedence over anything else she might want to do. She nodded to a passing ensign.

"Probably a good idea. Learning to take command of a starship has to start somewhere," she replied as Gabriel pressed the door chime. "He certainly did better than the first time I had to take command of the Discovery."

Sheridan's Quarters

The chime at his door made Andrew snap out of his thoughts about the mission. Briefly, he wondered who could be coming to see him. Had he missed a date with Sophie? No...no that wasn't it....

"Enter," Andrew called out as he swiveled in his chair to face whoever came through the door to visit.

To his surprise, the door opened to reveal both of his senior officers: Captain T'Koris and Commander Arthur. Getting a visit from one was usually a sign of something, but both...Andrew's mind elevated in alertness.

"Come on in," Andrew stated as he stood to greet them. 'Stay calm, Andrew. They may simply be here to see how you were doing after being in command. After all, you were exhausted. Just relax,' the young Second Officer thought silently.

Andrew Sheridan wrote:

Sheridan's Quarters

The chime at his door made Andrew snap out of his thoughts about the mission.  Briefly, he wondered who could be coming to see him.  Had he missed a date with Sophie?  No...no that wasn't it....

"Enter," Andrew called out as he swiveled in his chair to face whoever came through the door to visit.

To his surprise, the door opened to reveal both of his senior officers:  Captain T'Koris and Commander Arthur.  Getting a visit from one was usually a sign of something, but both...Andrew's mind elevated in alertness.

"Come on in," Andrew stated as he stood to greet them.  'Stay calm, Andrew.  They may simply be here to see how you were doing after being in command.  After all, you were exhausted.  Just relax,' the young Second Officer thought silently.

[Sheridan's Quarters]

Archangel stepped through the door as it slid open, offering her second officer a reassuring smile. Having your commanding officers pay you a visit during your off hours was certainly a cause for some concern.

"At ease, Andrew," she said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "This is just a social call, to see how you're getting on. First time in charge of the ship during a crisis situation is a milestone in any prospective command officer's career."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

[Sheridan's Quarters]

Archangel stepped through the door as it slid open, offering her second officer a reassuring smile.  Having your commanding officers pay you a visit during your off hours was certainly a cause for some concern.

"At ease, Andrew," she said with a hint of amusement in her voice.  "This is just a social call, to see how you're getting on.  First time in charge of the ship during a crisis situation is a milestone in any prospective command officer's career."

"Yeah, we're not gonna make you stand at parade rest in front of your bunk," Gabriel smiled, nodding to the man. "We're off the record. Wanted to take a break from getting yelled at by various admirals, as if the crapstorm down on that planet was our fault. But you did a hell of a job. It's not easy to have the decisions that come with the big chair dropped into your lap at once."

Andrew smiled at the XO's comment about standing at parade rest in front of his bunk like they had to so often at the Academy. It was good they were there before him now...his Captain and First Officer. They had come to check up on him, and it made him feel even more a part of the team with such a visit. A deep sigh escaped his lips momentarily, and then he sat back down...waving both senior officers to the two empty chairs nearby.

"Please, have a seat," Andrew invited them. Only after they sat down did the young Second Officer continue. "I confess, the whole situation was a minefield of possible problems. I did what I could to preserve the lives of the crew, and not overstep the Prime Directive. I couldn't let him simply brush under the rug as another secret," Andrew stated quietly.

The whole situation had been a mess from the moment the underground civilization had been discovered, to how they had been treated, and then to the point when the world's leader decided to destroy the PHOENIX and kill the crew...more than half were on the planet, and none of them were even armed for combat...at least not those on shore leave. So many lives had been at stake at that very second...from his Captain and First Officer, to those of the family both on the planet and aboard the ship, to the poor people underground as slaves. He had always known Captains went through hell sometimes to balance things, but it was the first time he had to do the balancing.

Sitting down in one of the indicated chairs, Archangel made herself comfortable, crossing one leg over the other and offering the young officer a reassuring, somewhat maternal smile. It had been a very hard decision for him to make, a very difficult situation to be placed into given that he didn't really have the training for it.

"You did very well," she assured Sheridan. "You got everyone out safely and no one was hurt beyond a few bruises. The government was exposed as hiding the Undercity and falsifying information during their application for Federation membership. As far as I'm concerned, that's a plus all round and I marked that on your record. The Admirals may think that we screwed up on that mission, but I don't."

Andrew listened to his CO as she gave her personal review of his performance that day. It sounded like she agreed with everything he had done; even if the Admiralty didn't like how the mission went. He had never really had to deal with Admirals on such a level as yet, and that was okay with him. Yet, it seemed unfair to him to have his two superiors constantly being growled at by the Admiralty from the crew doing their job.

After all, it could have bee much worse. They could have lost both senior officers, and nearly did thanks to the the government's attack on them. They nearly lost the ship as well had Andrew not worked swiftly on things containing the virus. Overall, they could all be dead, and yet it seemed the higher-ups were only concerned with how they weren't bringing this world into the Federation.

"What could I have done differently, Ma'am?" Andrew asked her.

Sitting back in the chair, Archangel rested her elbows on the arms, pressing her fingertips together and observing the young officer over the top of them as she went over the events in her head. It was quite surprising to her, actually, that an officer without much command experience had come off so well in that episode. Her own first spin in the big chair certainly hadn't ended that well.

"As far as I'm aware, Andrew, you made the right choices. You dealt very well with the circumstances handed to you." She then tilted her head to one side a little. "Is there anything you think you could have done better?"

It was a valid question, but he also was surprised by the confidence the Captain was showing him. For a moment, he briefly remembered meeting her for the very first time as he led a small rag-tag team from the starbase over to the captured starship. He had managed to beam her up, and with the help of his team; recaptured the ship. That had been his first day, and he hadn't even been assigned to her ship yet. Now, here he was sitting across from her in his quarters discussing how he had taken command of the PHOENIX this last time round. It was, perhaps, a bit stunning to the young Second Officer that he was doing so well aboard the ship.

Despite that, he felt he should have done better. There had to be something he could have done more. It was an impossible situation...true.

"Perhaps I could have used their own trick on them. I am sure we could have sent a very nasty spike to their systems and shutdown their defensive and offensive ability, as well as scrambled their communications until everyone was back aboard," Andrew stated with narrowed eyes in concentration. "I discounted it as I thought it might be too aggressive, but considering how they were trying to kill us all...perhaps that would have been better."

As Lieutenant Sheridan told her about what else he could have done in the face of the assault on the ship, one of Archangel's eyebrows lifted into an expression of faint disapproval. If he had done that, it was likely that they would not be having such a nice conversation now. She leaned forward slightly, keeping her dark gaze fixed on her upcoming young officer.

"Andrew, the Federation and Starfleet pride themselves on being in the higher echelons of civilisation and morality and its our responsibility to keep up that appearance. When we arrived at that planet, we were equals with them, but their attack on us and the discovery of the Undercity meant that they were then beneath us. If you had turned their attack back on them, you would have been stooping to their level and that's something that no Starfleet officer should do."

"That was part of my reasoning for not doing so, Captain. I knew it was the wrong move, and I chose the more difficult path...though morally correct. It was just a thought I had, but yes...you are correct. To do what my original thought was would have been stooping to their level. It is bad enough we had to do some really dirty tricks during the Dominion War," Andrew assured her.

"The Federation...both this one and the one I came from...are both founded on good principles that should never be broken lightly...if ever. Sadly, the Federation I came from fell to the Borg, and our morals went with it...though Vulcan tried to hold us together after Earth fell," he continued.

Archangel relaxed her posture slightly, going back to relaxed and faintly maternal from her disapproving look. This was a good officer she was sitting in front of, and he had proved that he had better judgement than the majority of young officers taking the big decisions for the first time. She had to remember that.

She also had to remember that he wasn't really from their time line or universe or whatever it was. It had all been explained in his file when he had been assigned to her crew, but things like temporal mechanics and parallel universes tended to part her hair as they sailed straight over her head and generally left a headache in their wake. In short, she understood 'he's not from around here' and left it at that.

"There are times that we have to do things that we regret. It's whether or not we can get up again that makes us better. A prime example is Admiral Janeway. I read in the reports that she had to break the rules sometimes in their journey, but she still managed to uphold the good name of the Federation." Reaching forward, she patted Andrew's hand. "I imagine it's been quite hard on you, coming from so far away. I hope that we can somehow avoid the same fate as your universe."

Andrew glanced down and then back up at his Captain. Her words touched him deeply. Not many knew he was from another time...another Federation...one that was now lost to his archenemies, the Borg. It wasn't exactly something he talked about, but he had opened up to her about it...knowing she had access to those files on him.

"We won't be losing this Federation, Ma'am. Not to the Borg, the Dominion, or to internal issues...we will not fail. I...I can't save them. I was too young really to even try; though I helped best as I could. I vowed though They would never have this new home of mine...not ever. I know I have much to learn," Andrew stated, and paused with a heavy sigh. "I also know I can learn from you and others, and no matter what happens...I will serve the Federation with every fiber of my being."

He fell silent...his head again dropping to gaze at the top of the desk he sat at. It wasn't false bravado...he truly felt there was no greater calling than to serve this new Federation and Starfleet he had become a part of. The Borg haunted his nightmares still...an enemy he longed to test himself against now that he was older, more experienced, and had read how this Federation had survived them numerous times. Still, he would not let it interfere with his duties, and his first duty was to the his Captain and the Federation she served.

Listening to Andrew speak brought a strange sense of recognition to Archangel. She couldn't begin to know what it as like to have been uprooted as much as he had. Changing timeline couldn't be compared to moving planet ot any other kind of similar hardship in the universe. The desire to keep things right, to keep them safe... That, she could understand.

"Maybe not with every fibre of your being," she countered kindly. "Dedication to your duty and determination to keep this Federation from falling to the Borg are admirable qualities, but you also need to relax and experience life as it is." She smiled faintly. "I believe there's a human expression about taking time to stop and smell the roses. Everyone needs to remember that once in a while."

For a moment, his thoughts went to Sophie...the young woman who currently ran Engineering, and had briefly been his superior when he first came aboard. He adored her quite a bit, and was not really surprised that his Captain's words brought her instantly to his mind.

"There is that, to be sure," he admitted with a slight smile as he looked up at her. "I have no intention of becoming a workaholic, Captain, but neither will I let the roses we enjoy be harmed by those who care not for such things." He thought for a moment, "Perhaps I should start taking my role as Second Officer more seriously...perhaps by taking command of the night shift twice a week," Andrew suggested.

It was something of a relief to the young captain that her second officer wasn't planning on working himself into the ground quite yet, although she made a mental note to keep an eye on him to make sure that it continued to be the case.

Since the conversation seemed to have moved on, she decided not to go back and harp on about the subject. He was smart enough to know himself and she would respect that knowledge.

"If you want to take more shifts in command on the bridge, I can certainly arrange that on the duty rosters," she offered. "It'll certainly do you good for when you go on to the command officer track, assuming that's what you're aiming for."

"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you for understanding, and allowing me such options. I do...I do dream of commanding my own ship one day...eventually. Not trying to break Kirk's record for youngest Captain or anything," Andrew answered her with a slight smile.

He paused for a moment before continuing. "I think I will go back to starting up my holodeck projects on dealing with a certain adversary," he said quietly, and for a moment Andrew's eyes narrowed with focus and deadly earnestness. "I have no desire for us to one day face the Borg without being ready. I have some ideas from my old home that I had worked on while at the Academy. Think it is about time I got back to them. I would hate for them to find us unprepared."

Sorrow was etched in Andrew Sheridan's face as he spoke...the memories of those days when the Borg swept through his Federation...the loss of his family. Even now, it was clear the pain was still fresh...if better controlled.

Holodeck projects? As Archangel listened to Andrews explanation about it, she sighed quietly. All this officer seems to do is work, she thought to herself. She could understand what it was like to be so driven, she had been the same herself before she had had Seika, devoting every waking hour to work and solving problems for the ship. It had got her to where she was now, but, looking back, she wasn't sure it was worth it.

"Andrew," she said gently. "Take some time off. I mean completely off. Go for a walk somewhere on the holodeck, or play a game, a sport. Something that has nothing to do with Starfleet or the Borg. It's admirable that you want to devote so much energy to preparation for an eventual conflict and to your position on the ship, but you need to take the time to live a little." She smiled slightly. "I didn't, when I was in your place, and it's something that I regret."